Container for frozen foods



1946. R. GUYER EIAL CONTAINER FOR FROZEN FOODS Filed Sept. 11, 1943 2Sheets-Sheet l g- RQGUYERET AL 2,405,499

CONTAINER FOR FROZEN FOODS- Filed Sept. 11, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Aug. 6, 1946 CONTAINER FOR FROZEN FOODS Reynolds Guyer andRussell J. Hennessey, St.

Paul, Minn, assignors to Waldorf Paper Products Company, St. Paul, Minn,a corporation of Minnesota Application September 11, 1943, Serial No.501,998

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to an improvement in a container for frozen foods,or the like, wherein it is desired to provide a container which issimple to erect, convenient to use, and which will permit the freezingof goods contained therein in a short period of time.

A feature of our invention lies in the formation of a container havingupper and lower walls formed of a single thickness of materal and havingvertical side walls formed of a plurality of thicknesses of material. Asa result the food products contained therein ma be quickly and easilyfrozen by conduction of heat through the upper and lower walls of thecontainer, and at the same time the container ma be possessed ofconsiderable stacking strength. It is desirable that the upper and lowerwalls of the container be relatively thin as heat tends to risevertically. At the same time it is important that th side walls of thecontainer be sufiiciently strong to permit the containers to be stackedto considerable heighth after the contents thereof have been frozen.

lA feature of the present invention lies in the formation of a containerblank which may be readily erected in an extremely short period of timewithout the necessity of special forms or equipment. Our container is soconstructedthat it may be easily folded into erected form in a shortperiod of time, even by inexperienced persons.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of acontainer comprising a series of panels connected along fold lines, andin the provision on opposite ends of one of said panels of flaps whichmay be folded upwardly into substantially U-shaped formation. While soerected a reinforcing sleeve may be positioned to encircle the opposedU-shaped walls, thereby providing a container ready to be filled withmaterial to be fro-zen.

A feature of the present invention lies in the fact that after erectionof the walls of the container so that the same may be filled, the re-.45

result the container may be sealed by taping or otherwise adhering thisflap to the upper container wall. As the taping takes place closelyadjacent a vertical wall of the container the top wall is reinforcedduring the taping operation,

An additional feature of the present invention lies in the provision ofa container, the side walls of which are reinforced by a reinforcingsleeve. This sleeve extends externally of some of the walls of thecontainer and extends internally of the remaining walls of thecontainer, thereby being interwoven with the container walls. Thus whenthe container is sealed the reinforcing sleeve can not become dislodgedor out of place, due to the manner in which it is interwoven with thecontainer walls.

These and other objects and novel features of our invention will be moreclearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming, a part of our specification:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a container blank showing theconstruction thereof.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the container blank shown in Figure 1with certain portions thereof erected to show the first step in erectingthe finished container.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a reinforcing sleeve used inconjunction with the container blank shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the container shown in Figure 2, withthe reinforcing sleeve illustrated in Figure 3 applied thereto.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the top orcovering wall of the container may be applied to the remainder of thecontainer. I

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the sealed eontainer, portions thereofhaving been broken away to disclose the relationship of the partsthereof.

The container A includes a bottom panel In foldably connected along foldlines H and 12 to side wall panels I3 and It. The wal1 panel I3 isconnected along a fold line IE to a top closure panel [6. This closurepanel I6 is connected along the fold line I! to a fiap or flange [9. Atthe opposite end of the blank the wall panel I4 is connected along afold line 20 to the flap or flange 2|.

The bottom panel In is connected along one end by a fold lin 22 to anend wall panel 23. This bottom wall IE! is also connected along a foldline 24 to the opposite end panel 25, The panels 23 and 25 do not extendquite the full width f the panel I0. The panel 23 is connected alongparallel fold lines 26 and 21 to flaps 29 and 30 respectively. Similarlthe end wall panel 25 is connected along opposed fold lines 3| and 32 toflaps 33 and 34 respectively. As will be noted from Figure l of thedrawings the fold lines 26 and 30 are offset inwardly from the fold line[I so that in erected position the flaps 29 and 33 may lie inwardly ofthe wall panel l3. Similarly the fold lines 21 and 32 are offsetinwardly from the fold line l2 so that the flaps 39 and 34 may lieinteriorly of the wall panel l4.

Locking tabs 35 and 36 are foldably connected to the opposite ends ofthe flange or flap 2|. Opposed flaps 31 and 39 are likewise connected tothe top or cover panel l6 along parallel fold lines 40 and 4|respectively.

The containers A are ordinarily shipped in fiat formation as shown inFigure 1 of the drawings. When food products are to be frozen there'-in, such as eviscerated poultry, or the like, the container blank islaid flat upon a table or other surface and the end walls 23 and 25 arefolded upwardly at right angles along the fold lines 22 and 24respectively. The flaps 29 and 30 on the wall 23 are folded along thefold lines 26 and 21 respectively to assume the U-shape best illustratedin Figure 2 of the drawings. Thus the container blank is provided withtwo opposed U-shaped wall sections erected as noted in Figure 2. r a

The nextstep in the formation of the container is to apply thereinforcing sleeve 42 to encircle the U-shaped wall sections justdescribed. The sleeve 42 is provided with opposed end walls 43 and 44and opposed side walls 45 and 45. These walls are held in rectangularrelation by any suitable means such as by the overlapping flap 41 on theside wall 45 which is stitched to the marginal edge'of the end wall 43.-This sleeve 42 is positioned to encircle the opposed U-shaped wallsections as best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, thus providinga rectangular receptacle having four side walls and a bottom wall andhaving an open top.

It is important to note that when the rectan gular receptacleillustrated in Figure 4 is com-; plete, the remaining panels and firmsof the container blank may lie fiat upon a supporting surface. Usuallythe cover panel is hinged to the upper edge of the receptacleso as tofold down over the open top thereof. In the present construction,however, only the end walls 23 and 25 with theirrespective flaps 29, 30,33, and 34 are erected out of the blank.

After the container has been filled the side wall panel 3 is folded upparallel to and adjacent the side wall 45 of the sleeve 42, this foldingtaking place along the fold line H. The cover panel l6 may then befolded down to closf the open upper end of the receptacle, the flaps 31and 39 being inserted between the end walls 23 and 25, and the end walls43 and 44 of the sleeve 42; Thus the flaps 3'! and 39 are receivedwithin and between the two plies of the end walls, further reinforcingthese end walls. The flange or fiap l9 is preferably folded downexternally of the sleeve wall 46 extending parallel to and adjacent thiswall 46.

After the container cover has thus been closed the wall panel I4 isfolded along its fold line |2 so as to lie parallel and adjacent thesleeve wall 45. This wall panel l4 encloses the sleeve wall 46 and alsooverlies the flange or flap 9.

'The'flange 2| is then folded to overlie 2. mar-- ginal edge of the topor cover panel I6, as best ,illustratedin Figure 6 of the drawings.During 4 this folding of the flap 2| along the fold line 20, the lockingtongues or flaps 35 and 36 are tucked in between the outer surface ofthe flaps 31 and 39 and the inner surface of the sleeve walls 43 and 44.A sealing tape such as 49 may then be adhered to the flange or flap 2|and to the cover panel I9 to seal the container in closed position.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the upper andlower walls of the container, with the exception of the relatively smallarea thereof covered by the flange 2| and the tape 49, are of singlethickness, and therefore conduct heat with comparative ease from theinterior of the container. At the same time, however, the containerwalls are strongly reinforced by the numerous thicknesses of materialforming these walls and by the reinforcing sleeve 42. Thus the containerwill withstand considerable compression, while at the same timecontaining thin walls for quick freezing of the contents of thecontainer.

It will also be noted that the container is extremely simple to erectand assemble and this may be quickly accomplished even by inexperi encedpersons. No form is required to erect the container as the opposedU-shaped wall sections form a simple support for the reinforcing sleeve.

It will also be noted that while the reinforcing sleeve 42 extendsexternally of the end. walls 23 and 25 of the container and externallyof the flaps 29, 39, 33 and 34 attached to these end walls, at the sametime'the sleeve is enclosed by the opposed wall panels l3 and I4 of thecontainer blank. Thus the sleeve is interwoven with respect to the wallsof the container and can not be dislodged from place.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principlesof construction and formation of our container and while we haveendeavored to set forth the best embodiments thereof, we desire to haveit understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of thefollowing claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A container comprising a series of four panels foldably connectedtogether, one of said panels forming a carton bottom wall, end wallsfoldably connected along opposite edges thereof, flaps on opposed edgesof said end walls, each end wall and its flaps forming a U-shaped wallwhen erected on said bottom wall, said end walls and flaps being ofsimilar height a separate reinforcing sleeve arranged to fit closelyabout said U-shaped walls, two of the remaining panels of said seriesbeing arranged to lie outwardly of said sleeve to form outer side walls,the remaining panel forming a top cover for the container, and opposedflaps on said top panel 'engageable between said reinforcing sleeve andsaid end walls.

2. A container comprising a bottom panel,.substantially U-shaped wallsections of equal height throughouttheir length erected upon said bottompanel, a sleeve arranged to encircle said wall sections, and foldablyconnected panels foldably connected to said base panel and arranged tofold into tubular formation to encircle said reinforcing sleeve.

3. A container comprising a base, panel, substantially U-shaped wallsections foldably connected at the center thereof to opposite ends ofsaid base panel and erected thereupon, the ends of said wall sectionshaving edges abutting said base panel, a reinforcing sleeve encirclingsaid U-shaped wall sections, a side wall panel foldably connected tosaid base panel and engageable over one side of said reinforcing sleeve,a top panel foldably connected to said side wall and arranged to closethe upper end of said sleeve, opposed flaps on said cover panelengageable between said U-shaped wall sections and opposed ends of saidsleeve, a second wall panel secured to said base panel opposite saidfirst named side wall, a flange on said. second wall panel arranged tooverlie the marginal portion of said top panel, and locking tabs on saidflange engageable between said opposed flaps and the adjacent portionsof said sleeve.

REYNOLDS GUYER.

RUSSELL J. HENNESSEY.

